Hanger bars have been used for many years when securing electrical boxes between ceiling joists. Most hanger bars have square cross sections and are composed of two main tube sections which slide within one another so that the hanger bar can be expanded. Hanger bars have plates at their ends which are welded or screwed to the main tube sections of the hanger bars, and these end plates usually have prongs for piercing the wood of ceiling joists which the hanger bar is installed on to temporarily keep the bar in place while an installer prepares to permanently install the bar onto the ceiling joists with screws or nails. The current method by which hanger bar end plates attach to hanger bars, through welding or using screws, results in expensive manufacturing costs.